Exercise bikes and other exercise equipment that use human exertion to drive rotation of a rotor to provide resistance for exercise purposes are common and known in the art. Such equipment can be provided in a wide variety of configurations, with many different features. However, existing equipment of this type also suffers from many drawbacks, and a need exists for improvements. For example, many existing exercise bikes have structures that do not provide rigid construction, smooth and consistent user effort, or close synchronization between components during use, leading to an overall “feel” that is unsatisfactory for many users. This unsatisfactory “feel” is particularly important in equipment that may be used repeatedly, even daily or more frequently by some users. The present disclosure addresses these and other problems with existing exercise bikes and other exercise equipment.